Restored
by DragonFlySpy
Summary: When she returns from the South Pole Tahno is the first person Korra seeks out.


Tahno ran, darting through backstreets and ducking in alley ways. He could hear the pounding footsteps of the teenaged gang behind him. He stopped short, seeing the space between the two buildings he had just dived into ended in a brick wall too high to jump.

"Looks like you're trapped, has been," the snide voice of the leader sneered.

Tahno spun around, chest heaving, and eyes wide. There was nowhere left to run. No one to come and save him. No way for him to defend himself. The ex-pro bender stepped back as the gang advanced. His back hit the wall and the gang smirked.

The one in the front laughed, and raised his hand, a ball of fire forming in his palm, "You beat my brother in the arena…but now that you don't have any bending, let's see how tough you really are," he chuckled.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" a voice from above yelled. Tahno sighed in relief. There was no mistaking that voice, Korra had come to his rescue.

She flew, _flew_, over the alley on a glider, landing hard enough to crack the cement. She twirled the glider, contracting it into a stick, and slammed the point on the ground.

"We're not scared of you!" one of the smaller teens said, pushing to the front, "I heard what happened! You aren't even the Avatar anymore, Amon got you. You can only bend air now!" the gang laughed tauntingly and Tahno felt a stab of pity for the girl. She had lost everything as well.

"Why don't you come over here and see how much of an Avatar I am!" Korra yelled, fury radiating from her ice blue eyes as she stepped forward.

The gang leader stepped forward fearlessly, his fists raised.

"Go for it. I'll even give you the first shot," Korra sneered. Tahno blinked, hadn't he said that to her before?

The boy punched, two chunks of rock flying from the ground and soaring towards Korra. She grinned, and stepped forward, grabbing one in each hand and crushing them to pieces.

"What-"

"You see boys, Amon did take my bending. But I got it back. Because I'm the Avatar and you gotta deal with it!" she yelled. She leapt forward, a ring of fire surrounding her as columns of Earth rose up, throwing the gang backwards. They ran then, screaming pathetically.

Korra released the elements, the fire dissipating and the Earth becoming smooth once again. She turned to look at him, that same crooked smile her remembered from the restaurant on her face.

"Hey Tahno, I was looking for you," she said casually, walking over to him.

The pity he had felt for her vanished. She hadn't lost anything.

"Hey Korra…how did you get your bending back?" he asked. He didn't expect her to be able to help him. No one else could. Anyways, she was the Avatar. She had probably traveled to the spirit world to wrestle each element back from some kind of spirit monster.

"Aang came to me in the South Pole and restored it…he taught me energy bending. That's why I was looking for you, I learned how to give back bending," she said, looking at him seriously.

Tahno swore his heart stopped beating. He could only stare at her, stuck into dumb silence.

Korra smiled softly at him, before stepping close to him. She slowly touched him, one hand on his forehead and one on his chest.

"Stay calm, alright?" she said, closing her eyes.

Tahno nodded, watching her face carefully.

Her eyes snapped open, nearly blinding him with their glowing light.

As suddenly the light appeared it faded, leaving her blue irises visible once again. She stepped back, a smile on her face.

"Try something," she encouraged.

Tahno didn't need to be told twice. He turned to a nearby puddle and adjusted his stance, before thrusting one arm forward and upwards. The water rushed to obey his command, twisting into a thin water whip. He lunged forward and the whip snapped forward, slicing a deep scratch into the side of the building.

"I can bend…" Tahno whispered. He spun, shaking, his eyes full of budding tears. "I can bend!" he exclaimed, rushing to Korra and taking her up in his arms. He picked her up and spun her, their laughs blending together. He set her down, not releasing her, and their eyes met.

Impulsively Tahno leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers. It was short and sweet, not lasting more than three seconds. He looked down at her, a blush creeping onto both of their faces. But he was too happy to care.

"Thank you," he said softly, the conviction thick in his voice.

"You're welcome," Korra replied. Their lips met once more.


End file.
